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ORATION 



NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE, 



RICHMOND, VA. JULY 4, 1840, 



BEFOBE THE 



FRANKLIN SOCIETY, 



AT THE CITY-HALL. 



WRITTEN AND PHONOTJNCED BY 




GEORGE JONES, l^'^^^^l 

TRAGEDIAN, . ^g^ 5bo'uuvCt- 

Author of the first Annual Oration (at Stratford-on-Avon,) upon the Genius Q 
of Shakspeare, &c. &c. 



'/*♦ 



.«■• 






RICHMOND: 

PUBLISHED, AT THE REQUEST OP THE FRANKLIN SOCIETY, 
BY SMITH & PALMER. 

PETER D. BERNARD, PRINTER. 
1840. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 

Richmond, Va. August, 1940. 
To Geobge Jones, Esq. 
Dear Sir, 

With the view that those who did not hear the Oration, 
delivered by you at the request of the FRANKLIN SOCIETY, on the 
64th Anniversary of our National Independence, may have the pleasure, 
and derive the benefit from reading, what they were truly unfortunate in 
not hearing;— and that a production so Beautiful, Chaste and Patriotic 
may not be excluded from the public eye :— We, a Committee of the Frank- 
lin Society, are instructed to address you with the request, the earnest 
hope, and unanimous wish, that you should furnish us with a copy for 
publication. 

Hoping that it may prove agreeable to you to comply with the wishes 
of the Association at an early day, 

We remain your very obedient servants, 
WM. H. PEARSON, 5 
THOS. H. WYNNE, ( Committee. 
OTIS F. MANSON, ^ 

ANSWER TO THK ABOVE. 

Richmond, Va. August, 1840. 
To Messrs. Wm. H. Pearson, ) Committee 
Thos. H. Wynne, C of the 

Otis F. Manson, ^ Franklin Society. 
Dear Sirs, 

I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your 
courteous Communication, requesting for publication, a Copy of the Ora- 
tion upon the National Independence, pronounced before your Society and 
the Municipal Authorities (by you invited) at the last celebration of the 
Nation's Birth :— It affords me, at all times, unfeigned pleasure to meet the 
wishes of my fellow-citizens, and especially upon this occasion, as the 
request (like the original invitation) has been couched in terms, which, not 
to deeply feel, would be not only a mockery, but a perversion of Sense' and 
Courtesy. 

I have the honor to be the Society's obliged, and 

Gentlemen, yours truly, 
GEORGE JONES. 



DEDICATION. 



TO THE HON. DANIEL WEBSTER. 

Sir : 

The following pages are (with permission) dedicated 
to one, from whom the writer at the age of fifteen (as many 
years since) received the first impulse for the Arts and Decla- 
mation :— since which period your kindness was evinced by 
a considerate courtesy upon the public debut of one most 
dear to me.— I might dwell upon these personal considera- 
tions ;— but a higher cause has drawn forth this humble 
dedication :— it is to the Champion of the Constitution, 
(a distinction awarded by friend and foe)— the Champion of 
that Document which received the indelible signature of 
Washington, that I have presumed to dedicate this 
Oration :— and with the fervent prayer, that years of life 
will be granted, whereby you may be enabled to hurl 
the thunderbolts of Oratory, against the Catilines of our 
Country,— 6e they of either jmrty. 

I remain. Sir, 

Your obed't and obliged, 

RICHMOND. V. ( GEORGE JONES. 

Ave. 1840. \ 



ORATION. 



Members of the Franklin Society ; — 

AND Fellow-Citizens ! 

Feeling sensibly the honor conferred upon me, by the Society 
which I have the pleasure to address, 1, however, feel more 
deeply the responsibility of my present station, in attempting to 
delineate those events, in the Capital of Virginia, which are as 
familiar as " household words ;" yet advancing to my duty with 
that deference to public opinion, which should belong to every 
citizen, I hope that no portion of my discourse will be viewed 
by this brilliant assembly with a partial glance; but, that all 
present will follow me along the sombre path of the Revolution, 
and view with me, — as through the bright vista of our fate, — 
the halo of the Constitution, the final glory of the great battle, 
fought for the freedom of the Western World ! 

The celebration of the Nation's Birth, claims the exercise of 
a power, which no other day in the four seasons can boast of: — 
a power granted by Liberty from her curule chair of Indepen- 
dence, — the power to crush all party feeling, and fix the Patriot's 
eye upon the past history of his Country's Glory ! Therefore, 
Fellow-Citizens, are we assembled, in obedience to the Nation's 
custom, to offer the tribute of gratitude to the memory of the 
Fathers and Heroes of that war, wherein, were achieved the un- 
dying honors of the Republic ! 

It will be necessary to carry the mind back to the earliest 
settlers of New England, simply to state the fact, that it was 

•2 



10 

the desire of Freedom, which led them to brave the dangers of a 
savage wilderness, and not merely the idea of Colonization. 
The persecutions of the established Church, with its ancient 
ritual, had driven the Pilgrim Fathers forth : — while the chi- 
valric spirit and bold daring of Sir Walter Raleigh and his 
followers, led them, from a spirit of enterprise, to become the 
discoverers of Southern Virginia : — I say Southern Virginia, for 
originally, the entire country from Newfoundland to Cape Fear 
bore but one name. In the time of James the First, the English 
portion of the Continent was divided into the Northern and 
Southern Colonies of Virginia. As the population increased, 
these grand moieties were divided and subdivided, and each part 
became a separate colony. 

The wars w^ith the Indians commenced nearly coeval with 
the discoveries ; and led the northern provinces to form a combi- 
nation for their mutual defence. The first association of this 
character was in one thousand six hundred and forty-three, 
twenty years after the Pilgrim-landing at Plymouth, and to this 
period is to be traced the first spirit of Union. Nearly a cen- 
tury passed, when a general association of all the Colonies took 
place for the same purpose of mvitual defence. In one thousand 
seven hundred and fifty-four, this protective Union received the 
sanction of the British Government, under which power the 
Colonies were controlled, having received their grants and charters 
from that nation. This spirit of Union was urged by the Gene- 
ral Government, from the approach of w^ar with the French 
power in America. 

France had established a Colony at Quebec at the commence- 
ment of the seventeenth century : and subsequently had planted 
one- on the Mississippi. This nation had also endeavored to es- 
tablish a chain of military posts, to connect the extreme points 
of her possessions, so as eventually to drive the English colonists 
to their coasts, if not entirely from the country. This led to what 
has been termed " the old French war." This contest brought 
the growing spirit of Union into bodily action among the Colo- 



11 

nists, and they consequently furnished for the Government nearly 
twenty-five thousand troops. Peace was declared between Eng- 
land and France in one thousand seven hundred and sixty-two, 
two years after the accession of George the Third. 

The Government of Great Britain, however, had not viewed 
the Colonies of America with any other feeling than as instru- 
ments for her own advancement; and, unfortunately, the distance 
of the two countries aided this act of injustice. Laws were pass- 
ed prejudicial and partial in their bearing; — Taxes were imposed 
without any previous consultation with the Colonies; — their Le- 
gislative bodies were removed, or dissolved, at the will of the 
King; — encroachments were made on the rights of the British 
subject, upon every point, until endurance ceased to be a virtue. 
While the Northern Colonies were solemnly considering the pass- 
age of the celebrated "Stamp Act" — and the whole country lay 
hushed as before the hurricane, — suddenly a voice was heard 
from Virginia, hurling defiance at Tyranny, and its usurpations. 
The glorious Patrick Henry, on the twentieth of May, seven- 
teen hundred and sixty-five, brought forward a bill in the House of 
Assembly, declaring that taxes should not be levied, but by the 
consent of the respective Colonies. The powerful eloquence of the 
Patriot reached to every corner of the country, and aroused the 
thoughts of Freemen to those rights, subsequently yielded by the 
Ministry of Great Britain. From this period, ten j^ears of wrong 
and injury were endured by a suffering people. The redress of 
grievances was the first, and only demand of the Colonies, in 
their original application to the British CTOvernment; and this pe- 
tition (though repeated) was rejected or treated with contempt, 
and military preparations made to compel the Colonies to submit. 

The idea of forcible resistance had not yet entered the minds 
of the Americans, for the inherent love of kindred had not yet 
been blasted: it still vibrated in the human heart, if not with that 
warmth of affection derived from kindness and protection, yet 
with that regard and veneration binding the Child to the Parent. . 
After renewed aggressions, and increasinc; insult, the hand of 



12 

Tyranny caused the first blood to flow upon the hallowed ground 
of Lexington. That Patriot-blood bedewed the very threshold 
of the edifice, erected to religion and philanthropy, and called 
down on the oppressors, — from an insulted God, and an outraged 
people, — Freedom's malediction ! The nineteenth of April, seven- 
teen hundred and seventy-five ! How vast have been the results of 
that day ! Liberty herself resuscitated from that bloody ground, 
marched triumphantly throughout the land ; — her spirit wafted 
across the expanse of waters, penetrated Kingly-governed Europe ; 
and despot Thrones trembled to their very centre, as if shaken 
by a mighty earthquake ! 

The Colonies were now called to arms ; and soon, upon a 
glorious battle-field, they were destined to oppose the disciplined 
troops of the most powerful nation of the earth. The false esti- 
mate by the British Ministry, (not the nation,) of the spirit and 
valor of the Americans, (and especially when those Patriots 
were of the true Anglo-Saxon blood,) led that power into an 
error, which attended it throughout the war. The Ministry could 
not, or would not, believe that undisciplined men, — scarcely arm- 
ed, — mere yeomanry, whose hands were hardened by the toil of 
the agricultural, and not the battle-field — would be bold enough 
to hazard a bloody conflict with the veteran troops of the Eng- 
lish army. This feeling of contempt was participated by the 
Officers and Soldiers in the first battle ; and even the tune with 
which they marched to the encounter was one of ridicule ; but, 
which has since become Columbia's Note of Victory ! Upon 
Bunker-Hill, beneath the Colonial standard of the Pine-Tree, 
were assembled men, whose wrongs and injuries, (not passion) 
had made them Patriots. While Charlestown was wrapt in 
flames, thousands were gathered on the heights of Boston, to 
witness the approaching conflict. Wild and maddening were 
the minds of many, who in the coming battle between Liberty 
and Tyranny, had their dear affections placed. Wives for their 
husbands ; mothers for their sons ; sisters for their brothers, rent the 
air with supplicating cries ; but, kindred, blood, and friends, all, 
but Freedom, — were cast into the scale of life or death, as naught, 



13 

by those noble heroes, whose bravery, Leonidas, amid his Gre- 
cian hills, would have applauded — aye ! 

"To the very echo 
That should applaud again !" 

The British troops advanced to the attack of the redoubt, with 
the cool and steady tread of practised Soldiers ; — many of those 
Soldiers, — and even Officers, on the heights of Boston, as they be- 
held the advance of the troops, and their near approach, without 
any indication of resistance by the Patriots, believed that they had 
resolved to surrender ; — but, Gen. Putnam had given orders to 
those immediately in front of the approach, "to reserve their Jlre" 
to use his words, " until they could see the color of their eyes !" — 
This order was strictly kept. The British still continued their 
steady approach, — not a sound was heard, save the crackling of 
the distant flames, and falling ruins, — onward they marched with 
solemn courage ; — when, — sudden as the lightning's flash, — the 
Patriot fire, like an avalanche, rushed upon the foe ! Sad and 
dreadful was the slaughter, — whole ranks of the royalists (as re- 
lated to me by a soldier of the fight) were actually lifted from the 
earth, — and fell lifeless, weltering in their blood ; — the rear- 
guards, (panic stricken,) fled from the attack, and on their re- 
treat, — then ascended to Heaven, the first shout of victory, from 
the Patriots of America ! Again the charge was made, and 
again were they repulsed, — at the third assault, with increasing 
numbers, and at the point of the bayonet, the redoubt and works 
were carried. 

Many brave hearts ceased to beat that day ; — but, there was 
one man, whose glowing eloquence, public and private virtue, — 
and whose chivalric bravery, rendered his fall a source of grief 
and sorrow ; — yet, as long as the first battle of the Revolution 
shall be within the archives of the country, in like manner will 
the memory of the gallant Joseph Warren be cherished by 
posterity, as the first General Officer, whose life was nobly sacri- 
ficed for the cause of American Liberty. 



14 

The narrative has reached that period of the war, in which it 
is my happy duty to mention a name, — 

" fit to guide 
A battle for the freedom of tlje world !" 

With the pure feehngs akin to, and overwhehning a,s those felt 
by the Mahommedan when he reaches Mecca ; — as those of the 
Poetic Pilgrim when contemjilating, with silent awe, the honored 
grave of Shakspeare ; — as those of the devout Christian, when 
viewing Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, — with like venera- 
tion do I permit iny tongue, first to pronounce upon this hallow^ed 
day, the sacred name of George Washington ! A name 
claimed by history and set apart for admiration ; a name — like 
the Sun, — not confined to one nation, but belonging to the uni- 
verse ! A character shedding from himself, and not from a bor- 
rowed light, the bright beams of his country's glory; — Virginia's 
noblest Son, — the Patriot-model throughout the world \^ 

In boyhood, by the death of Washington's Father, the care of 
the future Hero was entrusted to the Mother, by whose tender 
solicitude the germs of virtue and honor, (and of a consequence 
the principles of Liberty) were implanted within his youthful 
mind ; there they were matured, and in after years gave forth that 
Hesperian fruit, which Herculean power could neither capture 
or destroy. 

In contemplating the characters of exalted men, we are gener- 
ally unjust to the Maternal Parents of those men ; for in nearly 
every instance of superior station in the world, (I speak not of 
that which is hereditary) it will be found that Mothers have 
invariably given the first impulse to character. In regard to 
Woman, generally, we are too apt to underrate their innate 
qualities of energy and fortitude: — as, for instance, to be found 
in the Roman characters of Volumnia, Cornelia, and Arria, — or 
in Letitia of Corsica, — Joan of Arc, — or the glorious tyrannicide, 
Charlotte Corday : — and in the arts, the parent of Benjamin 

West. 

1 Vide Notes at end of Oration. 



15 

America is bound to revere the character of Woman, ia an 
especial manner : — and apart from the practised chivalry of the 
nation, as exercised for their protection, in return for their undying- 
love and unceasing affection, — America must ever associate 
Woman in the recorded history of the country: for when the 
giant navigator, Columbus, Avas about to retire from the ex- 
ploration of his iTiighty theory, for the want of that pecuniary en- 
couragement required for his first voyage ; at that moment, the 
heroic Woman — Isabella of Spain — offered to pledge her jewels 
in ransom of all exjienses, for the discovery of the Western Con- 
tinent. The first English Colony in America was saved from 
ruin by the Daughter of Powhatan, in preserving, at the hazard 
of her own, the life of their chivalric commander ; — and the first 
foot that trod the Rock of Plymouth was Woman's 1^ Added to 
these items of history, there is one still more lasting in the affec- 
tions of the country. In the fifth year of the war of the Revo- 
lution, when the American army was in the lowest state of suf- 
fering and distress : and when the public authorities failed in 
their exertions to create funds for the prosecution of the contest, 
it was at that crisis, — aye ! amid the tempest, — when Woman, an- 
gelic Woman, in all her grandeur of soul and patriotism — stept 
forth throughout the country, and by large donations, rescued the 
suffering soldiers from despondency and despair ! And in refer- 
ence to the Mother of Washington, " her precepts," to use the 
words of Marshall, " constituted the solid basis of a character, 
that was maintained throughout all the trying vicissitudes of an 
eventful life." Even with these few gathered testimonies, — (and 
many remain,) — in our warm affection and gratitude, we can 
exclaim with the enraptured poet, 

Oh Woman ! lovely Woman ! nature made thee 
To temper man : wc had been brutes without you ! 
Ang-els are painted fair, to look like you : 
There's in you all that wc believe of heaven : 
Amazing' brightness, purity and truth, 
Eternal joy, and everlasting love ! 

After serving the English Colonies to the end of her wars 
with the French and Indians, Washington retired from public 



IG 

life to consummate his domestic felicity. A few months after 
his marriage, the Revolution called him from his happy retreat 
at Mount Vernon : and on the fourteenth of June, one thousand 
seven hundred and seventy-five, the Continental Congress unani- 
mously elected him " General and Commander-in-Chief of the 
Armies of the United Colonies." After the receipt of his creden- 
tials, he instantly proceeded to Cambridge, then the head-quarters 
of the Patriot Army. His first military act was the siege of 
Boston, which was consummated by taking possession of the 
heights of Dorchester. The Metropolis of Massachusetts was 
evacuated by the British on the seventeenth of March, one thou- 
sand seven hundred and seventy-six. Previous to this retreat of 
the Royal troops, few persons of the Colonies had entertained the 
thought of a dependance upon self-government, or a total sepa- 
ration from the Mother-Country. And in reality the anxious 
declarations of the public were, a re-union of the two nations, 
upon the cancelling of certain obnoxious laws, imposed upon the 
Colonies by the British Ministry. This feeling of reconciliation 
was also exhibited in both Houses of Parliament by the best 
speakers of the time. The great Earl of Chatham received his 
death-blow from his effort in the House of Lords, while answer- 
ing the speech of the Duke of Richmond, who had used his elo- 
quet.Kie in favor of the Colonies. In the House of Commons the 
Americans found the most influential support from the enthusiasm 
and oratory of William Pitt and Edmund Burke. The entire 
nation of England was divided upon the subject, and desired the 
reconciliation. 

While these feelings of sympathy were exhibited in the Mother- 
Country, the successful issue of the siege of Boston took place ; 
and from that moment, the innate desire of perfect Freedom, 
(throbbing in every Anglo-Saxon heart) then gradually gained 
the ascendency. From Monarchy, the mind was turned to Re- 
publicanism ; and representative Legislatures for the several 
Colonies, became the common theme of argument :— and, added 
to this, was the belief that some foreign nation might be induced 
to aid the cause, if in a separate state. This latter thought 



ir 

materially advanced the popular wish : and this feeling, however 
fglodous in a moral sense, could only be enhanced by many victo- 
ries upon the field of battle. The Continental Congress echoing 
the public voice, finally brought forward a resolution, which had 
for its object the total separation of the Colonies from the British 
Empire. 

It may not be uninteresting to many present to trace, upon this 
occasion, the manner and order in which the first great document 
of the Western hemisphere was presented to the world. In the 
Congress of the Colonies, assembled at Philadelphia, on Friday, 
the seventh of June, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, 
Richard Henry Lee, of Virginia, moved a resolution, which 
was seconded by John Adams, of Massachusetts : — referred to, 
and reported by a Committee, in these words : " Resolved, That 
these United States are, and of right ought to he, free and inde- 
pendent States : and that all political connexion hcttveen them and 
the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." 
This was the first time that the term " United States" had been 
used. This bold resolution was debated on Saturday and Mon- 
day, the eighth and tenth of June. This extraordinary trans- 
action was well calculated to call forth in some of the Colonies, 
calm and cautious hesitation. The debate on the question was 
consequently adjourned to Monday, the first of July. During the 
period of adjournment a Committee of five was appointed by 
ballot, for the purpose of drawing up a document to be called 
" The Declaration of Independence.^' This Committee consisted of 
Thomas Jefferson, Chairman ; John Adams, Benjamin 
Franklin, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. — 
Richard Henry Lee was deprived of the honor of serving on 
the Committee by a domestic affliction ; but Time can never rob 
Virginia of the glory of having moved the original resolution. 
The " Declaration" was reported on Friday, the twenty-eighth 
of June, and laid on the table. On the first of July the adjourned 
debate on the resolution took place ; the question was put the 
same evening and carried in the affirmative. The report of the 
" Declaration Committee" was placed for the second of July, 



18 

The Congress of Republicans then proceeded, with the solemnity 
of a Roman Senate, to consider the final document as reported 
by the Patriot of Monticello. After mature deliberation, in which 
all knew that their " lives, fortunes and sacred honors were 
pledged ;" and appealing to the " Supreme Judge of the World" 
for the rectitude of their intentions, — the immortal act was con- 
summated ! On Thursday, the fourth of July, one thousand seven 
hundred and seventy-six, the glorious parchment received the 
fifty-six undying names : — names placed there with the same 
devotion as that of the Dacii of old, who, in the carnage of the 
field, when victory was doubtful, plunged amid the onward foe, — 
and with their lives placed the laurel upon the Eagles of their 
Country ! O ! glorious band of Philosophers ! As in the Crea- 
tion of the Universe, God said " Let there be Light," and the 
new Sun beamed upon an infant World : — so, thy sublime act, 
separating luminous Liberty from the chaos of Tyranny, hath 
given to mankind that brilliant expanse of Freedom, which, 
Heaven-directed, is destined to exalt the human race ! O ! noble 
band of Patriots ! Though the envious hand of Death hath 
placed ihee within the sepulchre, yet thy glorious Spirits dwell 
within the realms of bliss ; — and with the sublime Longinus, and 
the elder Brutus, now hover o'er an enfranchised nation, guard- 
ing the precepts of Philosophy and the exercise of manly 
Freedom ! 

The effect of the "Declaration" was electrical; — throughout 
the Army and the States it was received with joy and enthusi- 
asm, and by the enemy, as the precursor of eventual success. 
This celebrated document was issued two hundred and eighty- 
four years from the landing of Columbus at St. Salvador: one 
hundred and fifty-six years from the settlement of the Pilgrim 
Fathers at Plymouth ; and by a singular coincidence, it was sign- 
ed upon the anniversary of the first landing of the English in 
America, by the followers of Sir Walter Raleigh, July 4th, 
fifteen hundred and eighty-four, — one hundred and ninety-two 
years previous to the day we now celebrate. 



19 

It may be justly remarked, that the Declaration of Indepen- 
dence reqiured but one circumstance to render it perfect, — viz : 
the signature of George Washington. His duty as General of the 
Army, deprived him of that honor; — his signature, however, 
was but reserved for another document equally as brilliant, — for 
if the " Declaration " was the sword of the Revolution, the " Con- 
stitution" alone, is the seven-fold shield for its defence and safe- 
guard. 

To follow, now, from this period of the war, the principal events 
to the second grand epoch in the history of the States, will, I be- 
lieve, best meet the wishes of this Assembly. 

After the surrender of the Capital of New England, Washing- 
ton proceeded to New York, and arrived a few days after the 
" Declaration." In the mean time Gen. Howe had landed troops 
at Staten Island ; and on the 12th of July, was joined by his bro- 
ther. Lord Howe, in command of the fleet. Both were author- 
ised to establish peace with the " Colonies," — negotiation was 
useless, for the " Colonies " no longer existed, and the British 
Conmianders had not authority to temporise with free and inde- 
pendent " States." Preparation was now made for battle. Se- 
veral regiments of the Patriot troops were encamped at Brooklyn, 
Long Island, under the command of Putnam and Sullivan. On 
the morning of August 22, the principal force of the British army 
landed, (under the guns of their fleet,) commanded by Howe and 
Clinton, — the latter having arrived wilhin a few days from South 
Carolina. Having made all the arrangements with his Generals, 
Washington returned to New Fork. On the following day (27th) 
the battle of Long Island took place, and after various conflicts 
the Americans were defeated. During the hottest of the fight,' 
the Commander-in-Chief left New York for Brooklyn, and in- 
stantly took charge of the Camp, — where by his admirable dis- 
positions. Lord Howe would not hazard the assault of the Ame- 
rican lines. Washington now perceived the perilous situation of 
his troops, and instantly resolved upon a midnight retreat. This 
difficult operation was executed on the night after the battle (2Sth,) 



20 

with so much caution and silence, and with such perfect order, 
that not only the troops, but the military stores and ammunition, 
were conveyed in safety to New York. The boldness, and the 
execution of this manceuvre, was then, and is still viewed as a 
splendid display of Washington's consummate knowledge of the 
art of war : — and at the time, military men considered that the 
disaster of the defeat was more than balanced by the brilliancy 
of the final operation : — in the same manner that the retreat of 
Xenophon and " his ten thousand," conferred more glory than 
the defeat at the battle of Cunaxa had entailed misfortune. 

After the battle of Long Island, a gloomy feeling possessed the 
American troops ; — they appeared to be overwhelmed, not by 
superior bravery, but by the superior skill of the enemy, — and 
consequently the Patriot cause was deserted by entire companies, 
and nearly regiments, at a time. All these disasters only tend- 
ed to draw forth the energies and patriotism of Washington ; 
and to counteract the increasing desertions from his army, 
he accustomed his soldiers to almost daily skirmishes with the 
enemy. The success of this plan was admirably displayed 
in an engagement near the heights of Haarlem, on the six- 
teenth of September, wherein the Patriots were eminently 
victorious ; and notwithstanding both of the field-officers, Knowl- 
ton of Connecticut, and Leitch of Virginia, were killed, still the 
action was gallantly maintained by the Captains and Subalterns. 
This engagement changed the spirits of the militia, and they re- 
gained their lost energy. In the following months of October 
and November, the Patriots were defeated on White Plains; and 
subsequently Forts Washington and Lee surrendered, after a brave 
defence of the former. 

The most disastrous effects to the cause were produced^ and 
indeed experienced throughout the war, from the manner of enlist- 
ment, — which, instead of being for the war, was only from cam- 
paign to campaign. Thus soldiers just initiated to the duties of 
the field, were returning to their homes, when their services were 
most required ; — and their places being supplied by recruits, every 



21 

-species of military misfortunes were to be apprehended. Wash- 
ing-ton repeatedly applied to the Continental Congress to remedy 
this injurious practice, but without producing any desired effect. 
When the American Army reached the Delaware, in December, 
imder the command of Washington, it scarcely numbered three 
thousand men, — and a third of which were militia, newly re- 
cruited in Jersey. The condition of the soldiers was deplorable. 
The regulars were badly armed, worse clad, and almost desti- 
tute of tents, or even blankets, to protect them from the intense 
cold, — nor had they sufficient utensils for dressing food. In the 
midst of this distress. Lord Howe offered a free pardon to all 
those who should lay down their arms : — many did so, and sign- 
ed their allegiance; — and Lord Cornwallis even returned to New 
York, believing the war to be concluded. But the spirit of Henry 
OF Agincourt possessed the Patriot Hero ! " Undismayed," 
says Marshall, "by the dangers which surrounded him, Wash- 
ington did not for an instant relax his energies, nor omit any 
thing which could retard the progress of the enemy. He did 
not appear to despair : and constantly showed himself to his ha- 
rassed and enfeebled army with a serene, unembarrassed coun- 
tenance, betraying no fears in himself, and inspiring others with 
confidence. To this unconquerable firmness, to this perfect self- 
possession under the most desperate circumstances, is America 
in a great degree indebted for her Independence." 

A large portion of Jersey being covered by the enemy, and re- 
ceiving a reinforcement from Pennsylvania, Washington resol- 
ved upon the daring plan of attacking all the points possessed by 
the foe along the Delaware. 

To carry this resolve into effect, the celebrated Passage of 
the Delaware was made on the night of the twenty-fifth of 
December, amidst a drifting snow-storm, mingled with hail and 
rain. Gluantities of ice having formed in the river, delayed the 
completion of the passage until three in the morning. Bravely 
surmounting these difficulties, the army commenced its march (of 
nine miles) in order to reach Trenton by daylight. By this bold 



22 

manceuvre, the Hessians were completely surprised, and after a 
brave resistance, (in which their Colonel was slain) they surren- 
dered prisoners of war to the number of, at least, one thousand. 
The Patriot loss was only two killed, two frozen to death, and 
four wounded. Washington, after his victory, re-crossed the river, 
not only with his army, but his prisoners and military stores, and 
arrived in safety near his original position. 

This military act of Washington's is without its parallel in the 
history of war; and before comparison can be instituted, the analo- 
gy must be perfect, for without that, no comparison can be just. 
The American Chief had not only to contend with the inclement 
snow-storm, at night, in open boats, — in danger, momentarily, of 
being foimdered from the broken ice and rapid river — but, he was 
environed by the disciplined troops of the enemy ; — yet, amid all 
this, with only inexperienced soldiers, he fought and won his battle, 
and returned through the same difficuhies with his prisoners. 

In military affairs, the human mind is always dazzled by the 
number and splendor of troops, and the glory of a leader, to the 
exclusion of even thought upon lesser power and equipage: 
consequently, the Passage of the Alps, and the subsequent victo- 
ry of Marengo, by Napoleon and his splendid troops, would, in 
the eyes of the world, cast into oblivion the Passage of the De- 
laware and the Battle of Trenton ; — yet in the minds of all true 
Patriots, is indelibly stamped the superior glory of the American 
Hero, who not only passed more immediate and imminent dan- 
gers, but achieved a more lasting victory, by the Rescue of 
his Country \^ 

The astonishment of the British Commander, upon the cap, 
lure of the Hessians, was reflected by every officer of his army, — 
the soldiery felt it ; and even the foreign mercenaries^ from that 
day viewed Washington as a Superior Being, — endowed with 
ever}' attribute to distinguish the Man and General. As the ene- 
my felt astonishment, the effect upon the Patriot troops was as 
suddenly beneficial : and their additional victory in the following 



23 

week, the first of January, seventeen hundred and seventy-seven, 
at the Battle of Princeton, (in which brave Mercer fell,) at once 
proved the energy derived from the victory at Trenton. 

From these two battles the cause of the Revolution Avas on- 
ward ; and though often brought to a low ebb in the tide of 
popular feeling, it never relapsed to the same weak condition, 
as that previous to the contest on the Delaware. 

In the Spring of seventeen hundred and seventy-seven, the 
American cause was honored by the proffered services of the 
chivalric Lafayette : and from his example other distinguished 
foreigners came to the rescue ; among them was Pulaski, Steu- 
ben and De Kalb. Freedom's champion in the cause of Po- 
land, the brave and patriotic Kosciusko, upon a recommenda- 
tion from the philosophic Franklin, was received by Wash- 
ington with friendship and esteem. From a mere Colonial 
fight, — thought, at first, by the English Government to be ephe- 
meral, — the eyes of Europe were now turned upon the American 
National War, its duration uncertain as its magnitude. 

The character of Washington, already so conspicuous for 
bravery, skill and perseverance, had now to be tried upon a field, 
where Death himself, (arrayed in all the terrors of a malignant 
and contagious disease,) threatened to be the only victor : — but, 
as the finest gold is known by the heated furnace, so the virtue 
of Washington needed only to be tried by this fiery ordeal to 
prove its purity. When the terrible disease of the .small pox had 
weakened the strength of the Northern and Middle Divisions, 
and threatened the total annihilation of the Patriot army, — the 
Father of his Country, (as of a family) by the bold act of gene- 
ral inoculation, arrested the calamity : and at once restored 
health and tranquillity throughout the States. 

In vain will human language endeavor to delineate this sub- 
lime portion of Washington's character ; — its affinity to a supe- 
rior power than earth's, should ever stay the pen of adulation ! 



2i 

After various skirmishes, victories and defeats, (among the 
latter that of Brandjwine, in which Lafayette's blood flowed 
upon the battle-field,) a severe check was given to the advance 
division of Burgoyne under Col. Baum, by Gen. Starke, at 
Bennington. This was but the prelude to the splendid battle at 
Saratoga. The command of the Northern Army had been con- 
ferred upon Gen. Gates, who established his camp under the 
direction of the brave Kosciusko, near Stillwater. Gen. Bur- 
goyne encamped on the plains and heights of Saratoga. On 
the seventeenth of September, a battle occurred at Stillwater, but 
night put an end to the equal conflict. 

On the seventh of October, Burgoyne advanced to the attack of 
the Patriots, — the battle became general : and upon the retreat 
of the British, they were pursued to their entrenchments, — a part 
of which was carried at the point of the bayonet: Gen. Arnold 
and a few of his inen entered the works, — but his horse being 
killed under him, and himself wounded, his bravery was repul- 
sed and his party forced from the camp. Had that brave man — 
Arnold, but have died within that entrenchment, his name 
would have been covered with the glory of a Warren ; — but, 
(from a spirit of revenge) he lived to be the execration of his 
country. Burgoyne being cut off in his expected retreat to Lake 
George, negotiations were opened from the British General for 
surrender, — which event was consummated on the seventeenth of 
October, seventeen hundred and seventy-seven. The officers and 
soldiers were permitted to march from their entrenchments, as 
gallant foes, with all the honors of war ; and after, to deposit their 
arms as trophies of the Patriots. This part of the humiliation, 
the American General, in delicacy to the feelings of the English, 
would not permit his troops to witness. This feeling was well 
appreciated by Gen. Burgojme, who was one of the most accom- 
plished officers of the British Army: for upon his return to Eng- 
land he was dismissed the service, for refusing to return to Ame- 
rica, against the covenant of his surrender with his gallant con- 
queror. At the Victory of Saratoga were surrendered over five 
thousand parole prisoners : — a fine train of artillery : seven ihous- 



25 

and stand of perfect arms and equipments : clothing fcr seven 
thousand troops, with tents and military stores. The jry of this 
victory was universal throughout the country: and eventually 
laid the foundation for a definitive treaty of Alliance v/ith France, 
to aid the cause of American Independence. This treaty was 
received by Congress on the second of May, seventeen hundred 
and seventy-eight. The battle of Monmouth was fought on the 
twenty-eighth of June, and which, from the disobedience of Gen. 
Charles Lee, was nearly lost to the Patriots. Washington met 
him in retreat, and after a severe reprimand on the field of battle, 
ordered him to stop the advance of a British column, which order 
was executed with gallant effect. In this action were the revered 
Lafayette, and the noble Virginian Patriot, John Marshall. 

On the ninth of July, one thousand seven hundred and seventy- 
eight, the Delegates from the several States signed the "Articles 
of Confederation^'' wherein were conferred upon Congress superior 
powers, yet depending upon the several States for money and 
troops. By this compact no business of importance could be 
exercised without the assent of at least nine States. It was soon 
found that it had no means to enforce its decrees ; and that its 
final powers ceased when a requisition was issued to the States, 
which they could fulfil, or not, as their will or pleasure dictated. 
Out of this great defect of the "Articles of Confederation"' arose 
the Republican document of the " Constitution of the 
United States," under which, politically, 

" We live, and move, and have our being." 

Early in July the French fleet (with a body of troops) arrived 
off the American coast, in accordance with the terms of the 
alliance ; and to coinplete the joy of the public, the first accred- 
ited Minister to the Republic, the Sieur Girard,^ arrived at the 
seat of Government : — the French nation being the first to 
acknowledge the Independence of the United States. 

During the remainder of the year, the war was prosecuted 
with various features of success. On the night of the fifteenth 
4 



26 

of July, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-nine, occurred 
the gallant action, under Gen. Wavne, of storming Stony Point, 
on the Hudson. The fort was carried, (amidst a galling fire 
from the enem}'-,) with fixed bayonets. This action added ma- 
terially to the increasing valor and discipline of the American 
troops. The joint assault on Savannah by the Patriots and the 
French, took place before dawn on the morning of the ninth of 
October. Both nations planted their standards on the walls of 
the enemy ; but after the loss of a thousand men the siege was 
raised. The main bodj^ of the army, under Washington, entered 
their winter-quarters in December, near Morrisiown. 

The year seventeen hundred and eighty was made memorable 
by the loss of the City of Charleston, and by several defeats in 
the Southern portion of the Confederacy: but, more especially by 
the discovery of a Treason, which filled the States with fear and 
wonder, and in which discovery every Patriot felt that the hand 
of Providence, had interposed to preserve the Independence of the 
Country. The Treason of Benedict Arnold is without its 
parallel in the history of civilized nations : for he not only laid a 
plot to betray his native land, but after its discovery and his 
escape, he became an invader of his country, scattering around 
fire and massacre. This latter portion of his character, indeed, 
finds the original in Coriolanus, — but Caius Marcius was not 
in honor and station at the time of his revenge, — he had been 
exiled by a vile rabble, driven out of the City of the Seven-Hills 
with disgrace and without sufiicient cause, — his revenge was 
natural, though not justifiable. The revenge of Arnold was de- 
moniac, founded in avarice, though under the cover of a sup- 
posed injury : and it has not even the credit of being brave or 
manly, but mean and cowardly, as the bloody prowlings of the 
midnight wolf! As the treason of Arnold forms an important 
era in the history of the war, it may be necessary to present a 
brief review of that transaction, and finally prove, how " good" 
was extracted from "evil," according to the sacred promise. 
After the battle of Saratoga, the severity of Gen. Arnold's 
wound incapacitated him from immediate active service ; and he 



27 

was consequently placed in command of Philadelphia, upon the 
evacuation of that city by the British, in June, seventeen hundred 
and seventy-eight. His rank and station opened to him in a life 
of indolence, temptations and desires, to which his former active 
character (now lost) could render no safeguard ; consequently he 
allowed his judgment to sink beneath the influence of show and 
expensive living, so that he became involved in debts beyond his 
power, by honest means, to liquidate. In this position of his 
affairs, he extorted from the citizens of Philadelphia various 
amounts, — and, also, embezzled the public funds. Upon formal 
charges being made against him by the State, Congress directed 
his trial by Court Martial. He was found guilty, and sentenced 
to be reprimanded by the Commander-in-Ciiief, which sentence 
was carried into immediate execution. From this moment he 
determined in his own mind, the ruin of his country : and in that 
to involve, as victims, the objects of his hatred. Taking, there- 
fore, a survey in his "mind's eye," of the different military posts in 
the United States, his traitor-glance fell on West Point. He in- 
stantly formed a plan to possess the command of Fort Putnam, 
that he might surrender the navigation of the Hudson to the ene- 
my. After various applications and intercessions, Washington, 
granted his request, willing in the goodness of his heart, to re- 
move the sting, which his delegated duty had inflicted. Imme- 
diately after his appointment, he opened a negociation with 
the British Commander, who, through an agent, was to have an 
interview, when the Patriot-Chief should leave the Camp on 
official business with his noble ally the Count Rochambeau, 
then at Hartford. This was on September 21st, seventeen hun- 
dred and eighty. The British General had selected as the agent, 
his own aid-de-camp, the brave and unfortunate Major Andre, 
who in his interview received from Arnold the Plans of the Fort. 
An dre now prepared to depart, when it was found that the English 
vessel of war had left her previous anchorage, in consequence of 
a cannon on the shore having been brought to bear upon her. 
This was done without the knowledge of Arnold, who now 
furnished Andre with a Passport, for the name of 'Anderson.' 
The Agent, in the disguise of a plain peasant, had passed all the 



558 

guards and sentinels on his road to the British encampment, 
when he was suddenly encountered by three Patriot Militia-men.® 
Andre forgetting to use his Passport, entered into a local conver- 
sation, which betrayed him. After a strict search, the Papers and 
Plans in Arnold's writing were found upon him, and he conse- 
quently became a prisoner. True, however, to his cause, he re- 
quested Col. Jameson, the American officer, to inform General 
Arnold that "Jlnderson ioas captured :" — upon this intelligence, 
the traitor instantly made his escape on board the English sloop 
of war Vulture. An additional piece of treachery was practised 
by Arnold, even after his escape. A boat with three men had 
been engaged by him, to take him on board, and for which danger 
they were to receive extra emolument: — but, the instant that the 
Traitor placed his foot on the enemy's deck, he ordered in a 
peremptory tone, the arrest of the boatmen as prisoners and rebels ! 
A struggle ensued, which brought the British commander on 
deck, who, upon ascertaining the cause of the quarrel, instantly 
ordered the payment, and release of the boatment, with " safe 
conduct" to the shore, and thereupon, left the traitor to his reflec- 
tions. The same honor actuated Andre in sending the message to 
the Traitor, for as soon as he believed that Arnold had escaped, 
he instantly acknowledged himself as Adjutant-General of the 
British Army. Andre being tried and condemned as a Spy, it 
was requisite for the Service that his execution should be instant. 
It was with heartfelt sorrow, that Washington found it was 
impossible (by the rules of war) to mitigate the sentence of the 
only victim of Arnold's treason : and the tear which bedewed 
the Patriot's cheek, as he signed th<^ death-warrant of the brave 
young Officer, flowed from a heart, struggling between mercy 
and duty to his Country ; — but, the latter was an Altar, upon 
which the High Priest of Freedom, knew that the faiths of un- 
born millions were yet to be pledged, and to that Altar alone he 
knelt, covering the feelings of the man, with the sacred mantle of 
his Country ! 

" Andre met his fate," in the words of Marshall, " with compo- 
sure and dignity." His death was viewed with sorrow by his 



29 

friends, and sympathy by his enemies ; while the very name of 
"Arnold" was thought of with shame and horror ; not only by his 
former friends, but by his foes; and these feelings have continued 
in this country to this day, in regard to the Traitor and his Vic- 
tim/ The previous enemies of Arnold, were still his enemies, 
and his British Commission was granted more out of honor to 
the promise, than as a reward for the treason. Not content with 
his desertion to the enemy, the Traitor took the command of near- 
ly two thousand of their troops, and within three months com- 
menced his invasion of Virginia. He entered this city (Rich- 
mond) on the fifth of January, seventeen hundred and eighty- 
one, with about five hundred soldiers, and destroyed the public 
and military stores, together with a large quantity of private pro- 
perty. A few months after, (having again destroyed agricultu- 
ral produce), this Plague Spot retired from the face of the fair 
State, which had radiated throughout the war with the smiles of 
Patriots ! 

The commencement of the year seventeen hundred and eighty- 
one, was marked by an event, in which the very safeguard of 
the country was involved. The mutiny of the Pennsylvania 
troops of the line, (owing to the incapacity of Congress to meet 
its payments,) caused the greatest anxiet}'^ in the Patriot army : 
and in no bosom more than that of Washington's. Congress 
had yielded to the mutineers in arms, — a precedent of the most 
dangerous tendency. The success of the revolt by the troops of 
Pennsylvania, incited a portion of the Jersey Brigade to obtain 
the same redress, and they consequently marched in arms to their 
comrades. Washington, indignant at this second revolt, in- 
stantly despatched a General Officer to the scene of action, with 
orders to make no terms with the mutineers while in a state of 
revolt, — and further, that as soon as they should be subdued, 
instantly to execute the ringleaders. These orders were qarried 
into immediate effect, thereby frustrating the British Proclama^ 
tion, granting pardon and reward to those that should return to 
their allegiance. Thus the energy of Washington, for the 
third time, rescued his country : for whether surrounded by the 



30 

clangers of the Delaware, — the horrors of Disease, or the terrors 
of Mutiny, still his Genius rose superior to them all, and by his 
patience and perseverance, apparently, defied even Fate itself! 

The sublime virtue of Perseverance seemed to be the lasting 
principle of Washington during the war ; and as in the Holy 
Scriptures, the word is used but once, as if to express its, almost, 
super-human power when exercised ; so in the volume of the 
Hero's life, it was stampt once and forever ; — and let us hope 
that his Country's Freedom, achieved thereby, may reach to 
another word, employed but once upon the sacred pages, viz : 
"Eternity !" 

In the Spring and Summer of seventeen hundred and eighty- 
one, several actions were fought, with marked distinction of bra- 
very, especially that of Guilford : as, also, the battle of Eutaw, 
September the eighth, in which the Patriots under Gen. Greene, 
added to their power and glory. 

We must now view the events which led to the last great 
battle of the Revolution. 

Lafayette arrived in this city (Richmond) on the evening of 
the twenty-ninth of April, seventeen hundred and eighty-one, 
having made a forced march from Baltimore. His timely arrival 
saved the Capital of Virginia, for on the following evening, the 
Royalists having arrived from Petersburg, destroyed the public 
property in Manchester. Upon the success of Gen. Greene, 
in South Carolina, Lord Cornwallis entered Virginia, and 
formed a junction with the British forces then in the State. The 
Marquis was shortly after reinforced by Gen. Wayne, and sub- 
sequently by Baron Steuben. Cornwallis being anxious to 
possess the military stores then at Albemarle Court-House, La- 
fayette, by a midnight manceuvre, anticipated the British Com- 
mander and secured the depot. The General of the English forces 
instantly proceeded to Richmond ; from thence to Williams- 
burg, and finally to Jamestown, on his return to Portsmouth. 



31 

In all these movements Lafayette pressed upon his rear divi- 
sions, and at Jamestown-Island an engagement took place, in 

which the Marquis and Gen. Wayne evinced unusual courage 

and presence of mind. The entire campaign raised the brave 

ally in the estimation and affection of the Patriots. 

In the month of August, Lafayette (by letter) informed 
Washington, then on the Hudson, and preparing for an attack 
on New York, that a portion of the British troops were embark- 
ed for that city. The Patriot Chief instantly turned his thoughts 
to the Southern Campaign, and hoped by a junction with La- 
fayette, to entrap the British Commander. To effect this 
manoeuvre it was necessary to mask his intention, and keep the 
enemy in the belief that his next battle would be for the city of 
New York. This was done so effectually that Sir Henry 
Clinton, then in possession of New York, did not suspect the 
object of his adversary, until the American forces had passed be- 
yond his reach. This military manceuvre occupied two weeks 
for its completion : and Sir Henry Clinton thinking to recall 
Washington to the North, instantly despatched the blistered 
traitor Arnold, on an expedition of fire and blood at New Lon- 
don, where he arrived on the sixth of September. The result of 
the brave defence of Fort Griswold, on Groton Heights, is only 
to be found in the history of war the most savage. After the 
gallant Col. Ledyard, (upon the taking of the fort) had surren- 
dered his sword to the conqueror, Major Bloomfield, — that de- 
mon in human form, instantly plunged the weapon through the 
Patriot's heart ! Upon this signal, over one hundred were massa- 
cred in cold blood ! The British Officer, — no, — to call him so, 
were to insult the brave blood from, which we spring, — the Demon, 
did not live to boast of his savage deed, — for the black servant of 
the American Colonel, upon viewing this act of baseness to his 
master, instantly rushed from his hiding place, and plunged a 
spear through the body of the assassin ! — The brave servant fell, 
pierced by balls and bayonets. The State Monument upon Groton 
Heights, is inscribed with the name of Ledyard, and his hum- 
ble aveno:er ! 



32 

Daring the bloody scene, — Arnold, by his own official ac- 
count, was on a hill-top, in view of the assault ; and even em- 
ployed a field-piece to bear upon the fort during the advance of 
the British troops ; — and on the following day (as if to eclipse 
himself) in his public despatch, he thanked the ofiicers and sol- 
diers, for their conduct at the storming of Fort Griswold ! 

When the account of this massacre reached Washington, 
and the Army, then on their Southern march, but one feeling 
possessed the Soldiery, — it was that of a super-human courage 
for the coming conflict ! 

Clinton's design in sending the Traitor to New London fail- 
ed, for Washington, firm and serene, pursued his onward plan, 
and laid siege (with the allies,) to Yorktown. Upon the soil of 
Virginia, — upon that ground which first received the chivalric 
blood of your ancestors, had the Supreme Faiher of the World 
ordained, that retribution should be accomplished. From the 
massacre on the Heights of Groton — from that " evil," was now 
to be derived a lasting "good :" for the very cruell}^ of the blood- 
stained Arnold, aided the cause (which he had betraj^ed) even 
in the last battle fought for Freedom, — for each man now felt as if 
nerved with a giant's strength, — and soldiers of that glorious field 
have oft related, that in carrying the redoubt, — led on by Lafay- 
ette and Hamilton, — their battle-cry was — '■'■Arnold and Fori 
Grisivold .'" At that moment, each Patriot-heart and soul were 
in the action : — with bayonets fixed, — palisades and abatis 
were passed ; — through the enemy's fire of shot and shell, 
on every side the works were carried ; — and amid the curses 
of a Traitor's name, the God of Battles placed upon each 
Freeman's brow, the victorious laurels of the Republic ! 

The result of the Siege, on the nineteenth of October, seven- 
teen hundred and eight)'-one, confirmed the Independence of the 
Country. The surrender of Lord Cornwallis with seven thou- 
sand troops, aroused the spirits of the Patriots throughout the 
States, while, from the same cause, it depressed those of the Roy- 



33 

a,lists : and Sir Henry CLiNtoN, with seven thousand troops, 
having arrived off the Capes on the twenty-fourth of October, to 
succour CoRNWALLis, upon hearing of his surrender, instantly 
j.eturned to New York. This was the last great Military event 
of the war. 

While we admire the brave deeds of the Land^service, let 
Us not forget (as too often is the case,) the gallant actions 
of the infant Republic, achieved by her Sailors and Marines on 
the Ocean. The bravery and intrepidity of the American cruisers, 
even to the very coast of England, struck a terror more astound- 
ing to the inhabitants of Great Britain, than the war itself; which 
was viewed by that nation, with the same emotion, as we listen 
to the dying murmurs of a distant storm ; — while the actual land- 
ing in Scotland, and the subsequent victory by the Hero^ of the 
frigate Bon-Homme Richard, was like the hurricane itself, wherein 
was felt the lightning and the thunderbolt ! The service render- 
ed to the cause by Benjamin Franklin, in advancing the infant 
Navy, during his residence in France; and his subsequent agen- 
cy in the alliance with that power, can never be obliterated from 
the tablet of the American nation. 

The Victory of Yorktown had increased the unpopularity of 
the war in England, where it had never enlisted the hearts of 
the nation, — for the bloody spirit of York and Lancaster had 
never stalked abroad in Albion during the contest. A great 
portion of the Mother Country sympathised with the struggle of 
the Patriots, — Britons remembered their own battles for Free- 
dom ; — they remembered the history of the Second Henry, and 
the Trial by Jury ; — of his successor, and the first representatives 
of the People; — of the Usurper John, and the magna charia : — 
of the misguided Charles, and the Petition of Rights ; — they 
called to mind the bigot James the Second, and the British Con- 
stitution ; — they remembered that their own political existence 
emanated from a Revolution ! Britons felt — aye ! to the heart's 
core — that the struggle in the Colonies, was for the same unde- 
niable Rights for v/hich they themselves, had fought and bled ! 



34 

The British Ministry knew all this, and consequently engaged 
from the German Nations^ mercenaries to fight its unjust battles. — In 
February, seventeen hundred and eighty-two, the cause of the 
Republic was brought forward in the House of Commons ; and 
on the fourth of March, it was resolved " JVot to prosecute the of- 
fensive loar with North America^^ — Whereupon the War-Ministry 
resigned," and negociations were commenced for Peace ; and con- 
sequently, (after various conditions) the cessation of hostilities 
between England and America was proclaimed, April the nine- 
teenth, seventeen hundred and eighty-three, exactly eight years 
from the Battle of Lexington. 

After suppressing, by his reasoning powers, a threatened mu- 
tiny of officers and soldiers, (arising from the arrearages of pay,) 
Washington retired to Mount Vernon, "followed by the enthu- 
siastic love, esteem and admiration of his countrymen," and in 
a letter to Lafayette, thus writes the Father of his Country : 
"I have not only retired from all public employment, but am 
retiring within myself; and shall be able to view the solitary 
walk, and tread the paths of private life with heartfelt satisfaction. 
Envious of none, I am determined to be pleased with all ; and 
this, my dear friend, being the order of my march, I will move 
gently down the stream of life, until I sleep with my Fathers !" 
From every quarter of the Confederacy addresses of affection 
were wafted to Mount Vernon. 

The highest honor among the ancients, was to erect a Statue 
to a Hero during his life-time. — This classic memento of superior 
character, was imitated hy Virginia, who ordained in her State 
Legislature, that a Marble Statue to her favorite Son, should be 
erected with this inscription : — 

" The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia, 
have caused this Statue to be erected as a monument of affection 
and gratitude to George Washington; who, uniting to the 
endowments of the Hero, the virtues of the Patriot, and exerting 
both in establishing the Liberties of his Country, has rendered 
his name dear to his fellow-citizens, and given the world an im- 
mortal example of true glory." 



35 

The State of Virginia has the honor of erecting the first Sta- 
tue dedicated to the virtues of Washington : — and every citizen 
upon this hallowed day, should view that Statue in yonder Capi- 
tol ; and in the western corner of the area, where " many a time 
and oft " Chief Justice Marshall has viewed and recognis- 
ed the features of his Friendj let each Freeman, as he gazes, be 
reminded of the vast debt he owes to the Founder of the Repub- 
lic, — he should feel that it is not enough to possess Liberty, — 
that there is a higher duty, — a duty to himself and his posterity, 
— that duty is, — to protect and defend that Liberty ! This feel- 
ing occupied the minds of the Patriots, after the acquisition of 
their Freedom. For the protection of that blessing, it was neces- 
sary that the Union should be enabled to defend itself, and not 
rest upon the caprice of State Power for its stability. The "Ar- 
ticles of the Confederation " were found to be like the unloosened 
Roman fasces^ the parts of which any State could take up and 
use at pleasure : — but, to give solidity to the emblem of magiste- 
rial power, it was necessary that it should be bound and consoli- 
dated by Union. — With this conviction, did the Fathers of the 
Revolution, after the most solemn deliberation, produce the second 
grand epoch in your political existence as an Independent People, 
viz : — The Constitution of the United States. 

This document when prepared, was submitted to the People of 
each State, expressly called for that purpose : and when from the 
Conventions their voice of approval went forth, the acquiescence 
to the Constitution was given by the Will of the People. The 
State Legislatures had no voice of assent to the Constitution of 
March the fourth, seventeen hundred and eightj'-nine, as they 
had formerly in the " Articles of Confederation." The Constitu- 
tion of the United States was, therefore, ordained by the 
mighty will of the collective body of the American People : — 
Each citizen, therefore, has a direct property in the Constitution, 
which he is bound by every duty, every feeling of interest, — and 
beyond all, by national and personal honor, to protect and defend. 
The Document itself, is formed upon the grand protective prin- 
ciple, of the three political estates ; each elective and eventual ; — 



36 

each part a check upon the other ; and the elected sworn to the 
will of the majority. Freedom of Speech, and of the Press, 
(not their abuse;) Freedom of Religion, (not its fanaticism;) 
Trial by Jury ; The Writ of Habeas Corpus ; Rejection of Ex 
Post Facto Laws ; Protection to Science and Literature ; and 
their train of blessings, all — all, are guaranteed by the Great 
Charter of American Liberty ! To neglect the Constitution, is 
to disregard the Union ; and to disregard the Union, is to revolu- 
tionize the Country. And in a civil war, (if I dare breathe the 
words,) and a separation of States, foreign bayonets would 
instantly invade the land: for, — mark this, fellow-citizens, and 
receive it with the force of Holy-Writ, — Treaties of peace and 
recognition being made with the United, and not with separate 
States, — should those States dissolve their Union, — in the eyes of 
every Nation in Europe, would American Independence be 
denied ; — and justly, for the very essence of those treaties would 
have passed away, by the separation of that Union, under which 
all foreign treaties were, and have been made ! Startling as may 
appear this position, it is not founded in hypothetical reasoning, 
but in acknowledged fact ; for the law of Nations decrees, that 
treaties of recognition made with a Kingdom, shall be honored 
and in force with the lawfully succeeding Monarchs. Upon this 
principle, the treaties made with Charles the First, were not 
recognised in Oliver Cromwell ; — those made with Louis XVI. 
and his long line of ancestors, were not acknowledged to 
the French Republic ; and from these precedents, the foreign 
recognition of the Independence of the United States, would 
not be granted to either a despotic Northern, or a Southern King ; 
aye ! King ! — for that is the word to arouse your blood on this 
day! Let, therefore, those unhallowed Arnolds of the country, 
pause in their false philanthropy ; let those Traitors to the Con- 
stitution reflect, ere they plunge their Native Land in fire and 
massacre ! — But, Americans! fear not the tainted voice of Catiline, 
while Cicero moves within the Senate Chamber ; — fear not the 
stalking ghost of Arnold, while the divine spirit of Washington 
is strong within us ! Under the Constitution we live, and within 
that citadel will we die ! Believe not those false prophets, who 



37 

wander about commissioned by the Father of Lies ; — believe 
them not, — for the North, — the glorious North, is not against your 
Constitutional rights. Sound the alarm-bell of your invasion, and 
you would find Northern blood flow like water upon the field of 
another Yorktown ! England is nol^ preparing for your dissolu- 
tion, (as lately given forth in this city,) but rejoices in your pow- 
er and increasing energies. As a " time-honored " Parent, she 
views with pride the growth of her bold and skilful ofl^spring ; 
she contemplates with pleasure, the exercise of a Constitu- 
tion and Laws founded on her own ; and she beholds in your 
very language an emblem of herself Her Statesmen at this 
very day, trace back to your Revolution, the progress of liberal 
thought in its onward course, until it was consummated in the 
Reform-Bill of her last Monarch. And, fellow-citizens, no 
Foreign Minister is received at the British Court, with more 
respect than your own ; no titled Stranger receives English hos- 
pitality beyond the Citizen of America; — and no National Flag 
floating above the spires of Commerce in every harbour of 
her Island, is more honored than the " Stars and Stripes " 
of Columbia ! Frown down then, at once, every attempt to 
impair even the thought of Union, as given forth by self-interested, 
and self-elected umpires of public opinion. 

From the gathering clouds of the Confederacy, was the .Con- 
stitution in its triple character, — like the glorious Rainbow in its 
three primitive colors, — brought into existence by the Sun of 
Freedom, acting upon the effects of the storm and darkness. — 
Other colored features appear apparently existing in themselves, 
yet in reality reflecting all their delegated powers from the 
original. This Arch of Promise, expanding our political atmos- 
phere, this emblem of Hope, gave, and continues to give to every 
Freeman, the Covenant of his Liberty : and as after the retiring 
of the tempest, the Messenger of Heaven, appears in all its beauty 
of unrivalled form and colors,~so the Covenant of the Constitution, 
after the retiring storm of war and desolation, appears in the hour 
of Peace, in all its brilliancy of beauty, and the enduring form of 
strength and Union ! 



38 

As, also, in the grand principle in Architecture, one part alone 
secures its power, so in the National Constitution, — the central 
and consolidating power, — the kej-stone, — is to be found in the 
People, aye ! in the combined hearts of the People, — by the 
People was that work franned, and by the disunion of that body 
(which God avert !) only can it be dissolved ! 

The entire edifice of your Freedom was reared by the indomi- 
table perseverance of your Ancestors ; — cemented by the blood of 
your Fathers ; honored by the undying virtues of your Mothers, — 
whose Daughters are now around us, outrivalling the day by 
their brilliant beams of patriotism, — shall not then the Sons of 
those honored Parents, protect with their blood and virtue, the 
monument, thus erected for their liberty and prosperity 1 Your 
eyes and cheeks sparkling with the fire and flush of freemen, have 
already answered me. — Yet listen not alone to my poor powers 
of Oratory ; but hearken to a voice as from the Sepulchre of 
Mount Vernon. " The glorious Fabric of our Independence and 
national character must be supported. Libert]/ is the basis, and who- 
ever xoould dare to sap the foundation, or overturn the Structure, under 
whatever specious pretext he may attempt it, will merit the bitterest 
execration, and the severest punishment xohich can he inflicted by his 
injured Country V These are the words of Washington. — 
Americans! let those words live, (not 'be buried') within your 
hearts ; and let your spirits upon this glorious day, when all party 
feelings are forgotten, be United for the continuance of the 
Nation's Honor ! And in all moments of festivity and prosperity, 
forget not the sufiferings of your forefathers, while toiling with 
their blood, for that Liberty which you now inherit: — but, should 
adversity assail, or invasion threaten, then turn the " mind's eye" 
to Bunker Hill, — from thence trace with historic glance the vic- 
tories from Saratoga to Yorktown, and all the glories achieved 
for Liberty and Independence ! Let no disaster, or defeat appal ; 
but like Constantine in the first Christian battle of the world, 
have Faith in your Banner of the Sky, — the Constitution, — 
for beneath that sacred sign will you conquer ! 



39 

And finally, Americans ! In War or Peace remember, that 
the glorious blood of the Anglo-Saxon race courses through 
your veins ; that the life-stream of Alfred and Washington ; 
Newton and Franklin; Mansfield, and of Marshall, flowed 
from the same fountain ; — that the fame of Poictiers, Cressy, and 
Agincourt, are yours by inheritance: — and that your banner 
may wave for a thousand years, " amid the battle or the breeze," 
have upon your honored Standards one motto only, — and let that 
motto be traced by the hand of soul-inspiring Woman, — in the 
language of your Sacred Oath, in the language of Freemen, when 
their lips press the Eternal Emblem of their God ! let that motto 
be, — 

The Union, the whole Union, and nothing but the Union ! 



NOTES 



Page 14. — 1. "Patriot-model throughout the world!" 
The patriotism imbibed by the never-dying Kosciusko wliile aid-de- 
camp to Washington, was transmitted by that Hero to his own devoted 
Country; — and if there ever was a man who might be termed a. Second 
Washington, it was the noble Patriot of Poland. 

" Hope for a season bade the world farewell ; — 
And Freedom shrieked when Kosciusko fell." 
And again : 

When the last struggle for Freedom took place in the land of Miltiades 
and Marathon, — the Hon. Col. Leicester Stanhope, the friend of civiliz- 
ed liberty, the companion and colleague of the then poet-warrior Byron,- — 
this Son of Honor and Champion of Freedom, who gave his income and 
services to the cause he advocated, spoke in these terms to the leaders of 
the war. — 

"Grecian Chiefs ! Have Washington constantly before your eyes !" 
If in tracing- the above, afepling- allied to enthusiasm should appear, it is 
because a bright page of History, bears the name of a Patriot, whose noble 
personal friendship, (during my sojourn in England) forms one of the 
happiest portions of my life. G. J. 

Page 15. — 2. "The first foot that trod the Rock of Plymouth icas 
Woman's." 

I am indebted for this historical fact, to my esteemed friend S. T. B. 
Morse, Esq., President of the National Academy of Design, New York. 

Page 22. — 3. " The rescue of his Country." 
The Capture of the Hessians, — or rather the "Passage of the Dela- 
ware," — may justly be esteemed as the "key of position" of the entire war 
which by degrees unravelled the labyrinth of difficulties, and finally led 
to the Nation's rescue. 

Page 22. — 4. "The foreign mercenaries." 

German Troops employed as auxiliaries. 
6 



42 

Page 25.-5. "T/ie Sieur Girard," &c. 
The Sieur Girard was originally a Bookbinder. When Franklin (who 
formerly had been a Printer) first heard of the appointment of Gihard 
as the first Ambassador to the United States, he exclaimed, " Well ! — 
all's right, — I'll print the Declaration of Independence, and Gihard shall 
bind it." 

Page 28.— 6. "Three Patriot Militiamen." 
David Williams, John Paulding, and John Vanwert. 

Page 29. 7. " The Traitor and his Victim." 
An incident occurred during the exercise of my professional duty a 
few years since in New York, which will forcibly illustrate my position. 
Upon the occasion of David Williavis, (one of the captors of Andre) visit- 
ing the Theatre, the Play selected, was "The Glories of Columbia" by 
Dunlap, in which the incident of the Capture and the subsequent events 
are represented. It was with great diflBculty that any member of the 
Corps Histrioniqiie could be prevailed upon to personate the character of 
Arnold, prematurely feeling the warm reception which he would receive 
from the full auditory. — The character of Andre was allotted to my hum- 
ble representation. — I had some fears at first, that Andre would be unpopu- 
lar with the audience,— but in this I was entirely mistaken, — for nearly 
every speech, and even his several "entrances and exits," were applauded 
throughout the Theatre, — while merely the name of Arnold, and his ap- 
pearance, — (his speeches could not be heard,) were received with hootings, 
and every mark of execration, in which the old Revolutionary Soldier 
(Williams) heartily joined. I suggested to the personator of Arnold to 
"walk lame," in reference to his wound at Saratoga, and by that pieans 
obtain some respect from the audience ; — this only added, (after a moment's 
patience,) increased fury to the flame, by the very comparison of his cha- 
racter: — At length the actor said to me, as if in his part, — "Andre! you may 
finish THIS Revohttionary Scene by yourself!" and he immediately left the 
stage amid the same hootings : — His advice, however, was followed, and I 
finished the scene by an extemporaneous soliloquy upon Traitorship.— r 
No entreaties could persuade "Arnold" to re-appcar. G. J. 

Page 33. — S. "The Hero of the Frigate "Bon-Homme Richard." 
The renowned Paul Jones.— It may be of interest to remark, that the 
name of the celebrated Frigate was given in compliment to Benjamin 
Franklin, — who had at an early period of the war, issued his popular 
work of "Good-Man Richard." 



43 

Page 34.— 9. "The War- Ministry resigned." 
This may be received as an historical illustration, that the People of 
Eng-land, — the Nation — were against the war, — and had been so, from the 
time that the wrongs of the Colonies had been made manifest by the 
" Declaration of Independence." The remark of Geokge the Thibd to the 
American Envoy John Adams, upon signing the Treaty, would, also, 
prove that the King himself was, and had been against the war, — and 
that the wrongs of the Colonics had never been unfolded to him in their 
full extent. After signing the Treaty, the King of the Nation said, — ' Tis 
true that I was the last to sign; — but" — added he with honest emphasis — 
^•ril be the last to break the Treaty!" The Ministry had without doubt 
involved the Colonies in disasters and injuries, which, ybr the sake of 
ojjice, they had long ingeniously concealed from their Monarch. A 
sentence from the splendid Historical Play oi Richelieu, by Sir E. Lytton 
Bulwer, will explain the position : — The Cardinal-Minister wishing to 
secure the services of a valuable soldier, (who desired to be made an 
.officer, &c.) says to his confidant — 

<' We*ll promise it ! 
And see that the King witholds !" 

He then sighs forth, with mingled satisfaction and triumph — 

"Ah, Kings are oft 
A gr^at convenience to a Minister !" 



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